2:30 a.m. Time to let it be.
The Princess and The Pea.
The Queen doesn’t believe the visiting princess is real so she decides to test her. She is given a bed to sleep on made of 20 mattresses, stacked one upon the other. Secretly, a pea is hidden beneath the bottom mattress. If the princess is legitimate, she will complain in the morning of the terrible sleep as everyone knows real princesses are so sensitive and so delicate, they cannot tolerate even the tiniest imperfection.
That is indeed a big pea! Are you sure it’s not an apple? 
I love the colors! 
@sooz I love it! It feels right out of a modern storybook of classic tales. Great lighting from the candle, the wash on the brick, the tapestry fits right in while having its own style, the fun mattress patterns and color choices, and the way it deforms on the way up… this may be my favorite I’ve seen you post!
Even better? She is not even on the same side of the bed as the pea! Captures the story perfectly!
Great work everyone! And thank you for such a fun challenge @Katamahee ! Even though there may not be a huge number of postings this month, the ones that are here are so fun and really good!
After a long time struggling to draw a piece depicting the witch’s house from “Hansel and Gretel”, the story of “Blue Beard” jumped into my head.
You can read it here if you’re curious: Perrault: Blue Beard
I remember when I read this as a kid, the undisguised mention of corpses and murder was so bizarre and curious at the same time 
The font used is “Evil Vampire” By Tup Wanders: Evil Vampire Font | Tup Wanders | FontSpace
Oh wow…I “iron chef-ed” this one. Down to the wire, it was, but I finished.
And here, is a scene from the amazing Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. This is from chapter 5 where Alice meets the caterpillar.
and here is what I came up with for the book cover…
and I couldn’t seem to find an online version that wasn’t for sale, but here is a wiki that summarizes the story and a bit about Carroll…
Wikipedia - Alice in Wonderland
This one was fun and I was able to push my skill.
Enjoy
HL
I nearly gave up on this. I knew I couldn’t finish it, and wasn’t happy with the direction I’d gone in. Well - I persevered anyway, and this is where I’ve got to… 
This wasn’t meant to be the final design - it was just a mock-up I did early on. I didn’t get around to doing it properly though as I was too busy with the painting! 
Anyway - that’s enough moaning for now. This is what I based my piece on:
This topic was automatically closed after 25 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
Let the voting begin! Choose up to 2 submissions.
Voting will be open until 2025-04-29T18:00:00Z
Congratulations Elixiah! 
Really well done - the style and composition suit the subject really well, and it’s easy to read what’s going on. The cover is great too even if you did it in a rush!
Nice work everyone else - I think the range of book cover designs were particularly good. 
Now I just need to stay motivated to finish my own piece properly - One more addition for the ever growing pile of shame!..
Congratulations @Elixiah, you are the winner of the April 2025 Monthly Art Challenge.
To everyone who submitted artwork and/or took the time to vote: Thank you and well done.
But wait, @Elixiah… your work isn’t finished yet.
Congratulations Elixiah!
Wooooooooo Yes! Congratulations @Elixiah ! Amazing work 
Congratulations @Elixiah !
Thank you everyone that participated! It was difficult to choose only two… there were so many really good entries. Congrats to @Mythmaker and @steve.improvthis as well! If it is OK with @Mythmaker, I would like extend to him the honor of selecting next month’s challenge topic. I really enjoy participating in the monthly challenges and the good conversation and camaraderie of my fellow artists. 
Congrats everyone and a well deserved win @elixiah! There were so many great submissions!
But… that’s your punishment for winning!
…
Well… alright then! I suppose I can rustle something up… 
rustle… rustle…
How about… this?! -
Monthly Art Challenge - May 2025: ‘Humongous Hats!’ 
Your task for this month is to draw/paint an image of an elaborate hat, preferably sat on someone or something’s head.
Ideally, I would like you to use your imagination, but real hats are also allowed.
You are allowed to include multiple hats and characters in an image.
All art styles are welcome, and your hats can be as realistic or implausible as you like!
Optional Extra Challenge: Create a matching accessory to go with your hat (following the same visual style).
Happy painting! 
Cool idea!
Michelist
